Campaign for more humane treatment of prisoners in Vietnam

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based human rights group, has welcomed the launch of a report by the Campaign to Abolish Torture in Vietnam.

The campaign advocates for humane treatment of detainees and prisoners in Vietnam and the elimination of the practice of torture and other abuses in Vietnamese prisons, jails, police stations, re-education centres, and other places of detention.

A news release says, "The report echoes CSW's own research, which found that the torture of prisoners, and in particular religious and political prisoners, is still widespread in places of detention in Vietnam. In 2013, the torture of several persons detained in connection with their religion or belief resulted in their deaths in police custody. In many cases, victims of torture were forced to flee to other parts of the country, or to neighboring countries."

The Campaign to Abolish Torture in Vietnam calls for specific milestones marking the government's progress in eliminating torture. These include prompt ratification of the Convention against Torture (CAT), the signing and ratification of its Optional Protocol and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 105 (Abolition of Forced Labor), as well as new mechanisms and changes to existing practices and regulations which will promote the abolition of torture in Vietnam.

CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, "In 2013 Vietnam was elected to the UN Human Rights Council and signed the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This year is therefore an opportunity for the government to take steps to challenge practices and reform regulations which allow or perpetuate torture. CSW calls on the government to implement the steps outlined by the Campaign to Abolish Torture in Vietnam, to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a party."